Lies and Escorts
by ddenouementt
Summary: AU, no magic. FBI agent Emma Swan is in an undercover job as an escort to take down the Mills Corp. Problem is, her first and only client is Regina Mills, who she is pretty sure she's falling in love with.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! so here I am starting a new fic yay :) Ok, so if I continue this fic, just to let you know that updates will be every week or every two weeks. So, tell me what you guys think and if it's worth continuing or not :)

- badasswan (you can find me on tumblr like that :D)

(and i don't own ouat or any characters and all that stuff)

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><p>.1<p>

Monday had just started and Emma already wanted to scream. Since she had joined the FBI three years ago, the work had been as hectic as it could be, but for the past week it had been fairly calm. She hated it, but she guessed it was a good thing. No crimes, no work. That is, until they get a lead on someone they've been trying to get ahold of for years.

"So let me see if I understand what is gonna happen: We're gonna try to take her down from the inside?"

"Yes, that's precisely what's going to happen, Swan." Booth said, sitting back down.

Detective Swan ran her hands through her hair sighing. "So I'm gonna go undercover as an escort on this agency that apparently is owned by the Mills?"

"Yes, Swan. It's not so hard to understand the concept. Cassidy is gonna fill you in with every detail you need and he'll give you your new identity."

"But what if I say no?"

"Unfortunately, Swan, there's no 'no' in this one. And if you do this right, this case could make your career."

Well, she did need this. She wasn't getting any younger. She was already entering her thirties, and her work is too dangerous for her to wait out on a better opportunity.

She had been a part of the Mills investigation since she joined the FBI, and now it was the moment. They had been looking for a way to get to Cora Mills for five years, but the woman knew how to cover her tracks. She had been ascending to power in NYC faster than anyone had ever managed to, making a huge red flag go on with the feds. And now apparently they got a lead. A very good one.

Agent Emma Swan went to the office down the hall, and knocked on the door.

"Can I get in?" She opened the door slightly, looking in.

Neal Cassidy was sitting at his desk, moving around some papers from a file, reading them. "Sure Emma, come in, we have to talk."

Emma sat down in front of him and he handled her one of the files. She opened it and started to read.

"So, as we know, The Mills Corp. recently bought Gold Enterprise, which has also been under our radar for a long time As we recently found out, Gold Enterprise owns an escort agency called Aphroditia. But when we got to Gold with those discoveries, he offered us Cora Mills for a deal. That's where you come in."

* * *

><p>From the moment Regina Mills entered the building she could see that Kathryn had something up her sleeve. She handed Regina her cup of coffee as they both entered Regina's office and she sat down in front of her.<p>

"I scheduled something for you this weekend." Kathryn could barely contain her excitement saying that.

Regina sighed. "Good morning Kathryn, I'm good, and you? Yes, I'd really like to hear my appointments for the day…"

"Oh, shush Regina. Like you Didn't make me tell you three times yesterday your appointments for today. Besides, you have them all on your table. Now let me tell you: you have an appointment this weekend."

"And what is it that I suddenly have to do in the only time I can go home and rest?"

"Well, you know how lonely you've been since Daniel, right, Regina? And you know, I've just been thinking and everything-"

"No, Kathryn, I told you to stop with the dates. I don't want any romantic involvement right now."

"But Regina! You cannot stay forever like that!" She whined. "I mean, you need someone…"

"Are you trying to tell me I need to have sex? You know how I feel about it. I'm not going to put up with your nonsense, Kathryn. You're my best friend, so I'd really appreciate if you stopped trying to make me do things I don't want to do."

Kathryn sighed. She knew she was going to lose this one to Regina. But she had to try. Regina would never admit it, but Kathryn could see it in her eyes, how miserable she was. And it wouldn't work like that anymore. Regina had been sad and alone for too long, so now it was time to try… well, pretty much anything.

"So, that's the thing Regina…"

Regina sighed, turning to do other things as Kathryn kept on babbling.

"I realized that my past mistakes probably where due to the fact that I was looking for another handsome guy for you, and then I thought that, well, maybe that was not what you wanted… So I got you a woman! And don't worry, it doesn't have to be romantic or anything, I mean-"

"Are you trying to tell me you hired me a harlot, Kathryn?" Regina turned around, interrupting Kathryn.

There was no way for Kathryn to get any more red. And then, her voice started to get very small and barely noticeable.

"Of course not Regina, I hired you an escort…"

The uncertainty in her voice told her everything Regina wanted to hear. She couldn't believe her friend was doing that to her. Well, actually, in the moment she couldn't even call Kathryn that.

"Please Regina! I mean, I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, please, try to understand! You're my best friend, and it's really painful to see you moping around miserable the way you've been."

Regina huffed. "I'm not miserable."

"If I say you aren't, are you going this weekend?"

After the first time Kathryn tried to set Regina up, she promised herself that she'd never accept help from her again. She had accepted the date because Kathryn had insisted for a total of two weeks and four days, and Regina couldn't stand her anymore. And there she went to a date with a guy that she had no idea who was. Kathryn only have her a date, a place and a name.

It was the worst thing she had ever had to endure, but she should've suspected it would've gone wrong. The guy was called Robin and he had the creepiest smile Regina had ever seen. The first thing she did after she saw him was try to find a way to get out without having to face the guy, but unfortunately he had already seen her. He pulled the seat for her and asked what she wanted to drink.

The first five minutes of the date were actually really good, but they could never make up for the moment the man opened his mouth. He spent the rest of the night talking about his ex-wife, how they got divorced, how they got married, how long they spent together. Regina got up halfway through the evening, told him to go after his wife if he wanted her so much, and left to kill Kathryn. Those had been a few hours of her life she'd never have back, thanks to her dear friend.

And she hadn't stopped after that one time. Every two weeks she came to Regina with a new date proposition, another rich, successful and beautiful man, that her mother was sure to approve, which Regina declined every time.

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose, looking down. This was getting awfully tiring.

"If I go see this woman, will you stop bothering me, _forever?_"

"Promise." Kathryn could barely contain her excitement at _finally managing to get Regina to do it_.

"Can I make you sign a contract on that?"

Kathryn gulped. "Yes."

Kathryn looked like she had just realized the hole she put herself in. Regina grinned. "So, Kathryn, tell me more about this date I'm having this weekend."


	2. Chapter 2

So hey guys! Here's the second chapter! Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed or followed the story! You're all awesome!

Again, all mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer in chapter 1

-badasswan

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><p>.2<p>

Since Emma got her alias on Monday, Emma White, she had been perfecting it, creating a new persona for herself. She was sure that after this job, if everything went well, she could very well become a Hollywood star.

She finished running over all the details once again before giving up and going for a beer in the fridge. Emma finished drinking in three gulps and grabbed the files again, going to sit down on the couch.

Her weekend was going to be pretty busy. _And fucking nerve wrecking_, she finished in her mind. On Friday she was gonna have her first night at the Aphroditia, to get to know the place and he working arrangements.

On Saturday, she was going to meet her. Gold had managed to get her a date with Regina Mills, the CEO of the Mills Corporation. Emma had no idea why someone like that would ever hire an escort. She was pretty sure that someone as rich as a Mills would never need to go as low as that, but she was not gonna question her luck.

This was her opportunity to find out everything about the Mills and to bring them down once and for all. If she played her cards right, in a month or so, the Mills would no longer be out in NYC and she'd get a promotion.

She could only hope so.

Emma raised her bottle in the middle of the empty apartment. "Here's to our date, Regina Mills."

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><p>Every moment that passed Regina was more and more sure that she had made the worst possible decision in accepting Kathryn's arrangement. It's not as if she had some sort of problem in arranging partners, it's just that she didn't want to have sex with someone just to appease her desire. She wanted someone to be with.<p>

But unfortunately she couldn't be with that person.

She sighed, putting another pair of underwear in her suitcase. At least she'd have a whole weekend for herself, without work's interruption, or so she hoped.

She had a plan, and with no one's interruption, she was sure it'd play out just perfectly. A satisfied smirk was painted on her face as she ran over in her head what would happen during the weekend .

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><p>Friday had arrived and there was Emma Swan, a nervous wreck, on the office of the owner of the Aphroditia agency. She breathed deeply once and them twice. The door opened behind her and she got up in a sudden jump.<p>

Mr. Gold stepped in, a cheeky grin plastered on his face, one that Emma could only describe as creepy. She tried to be courageous and appear sure of herself but she knew the man wasn't buying it. He sat behind the desk, facing her, pulling open a stack of paper that was on the desk.

"I gather that you are Miss... White." He paused as he read the name in her file.

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm gonna call one of the girls to show you around."

Emma couldn't stop fidgeting in her seat as Gold picked up his phone, dialed number and mumbled a few quick words into it. She was liking this less and less by the instant. She couldn't help the uneasy feeling rising inside her. Gold looked at her as if studying every breath that she took, and that was putting her on edge.

The door opened and a tall girl with red streaks in her hair came in. "You called, Mr. Gold?"

"Yes Red, I did. Could you please show Miss White around and tell her about the house rules?"

The woman nodded and Gold got up from his seat extending his hand to Emma. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss White."

Emma had only a second of doubt before she shook the man's hand, and without any other words she followed the other woman into the elevator.

* * *

><p>"So, White? Is that it?" The girl said as the elevator started its descend to the he first floor, where the bar was.<p>

"Hm, call me Emma." She extended her hand for the other girl to take.

The girl smiled largely and pulled her in for a hug, kissing her on both cheeks. "I'm Red. If you wanna get clients, you better drop the distant handshake, blondie. Unless of course, you're seducing them." She let out a loud chuckle that made Emma blush deeply.

"You're new aren't you?" Red took a step back to eye the blonde up and down.

"Well, yeah, I just moved from Maine, finished colle-"

"Cut the crap, Blondie. You're new to this job, aren't you? You never did this before?"

Emma hated the girl in that moment, but she also felt a deep admiration. She was feeling completely out of her depth. It wasn't like her to be so fidgety, jumpy and uncertain. Weak. She sighed trying to put her head back in place, trying to make her strengths resurface.

"What makes you say that?" She tried to sound more confident than in their previous exchanges, trying to throw Red out of her game.

Red smiled. "Easy, I'm not gonna tell anyone, don't worry."

Emma sighed. "If I say yes, will you help me?"

"You can bet on that."

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><p>"Okay, so, first thing you need to know is that you don't have to do anything you don't want to."<p>

They were both sitting in a stool in the bar, sipping on a glass of champagne. Only fancy things, Red had said.

"We are escorts, we accompany people. Gold has a very strict policy about wanting to turn it sexual, but it's completely your choice."

Emma was taking everything in as best as she could, only nodding and looking at her.

"So, the escorting has a fixed price. Sexual relations are your choice and you keep the money of those. The escorting money, you have to give 40% to the house."

Red never looked at Emma, she kept scanning the place. There was a dance floor, with some men being accompanied some women, a few tables in a corner and some sofas.

"This is the meeting area. Most men that come here only want company to go to some event, like a marriage or some sort of family meeting. Here's where we talk to them about what they wish, and where we stand on our deal.

They usually choose the girl that suit their needs better. They usually want an open woman, smart who is able to talk to everyone at their meetings and convince them. So, usually go for the confident ones. You have to understand, Blondie, no one knows you are new. If you are confident, they'll never guess."

Emma fixed herself in the stool, turning around, much like Red to face the rest of the saloon. The talk was already making her feel a lot more confident. She smiled to some men that looked her way and from the corner of her eye she saw Red raising her eyebrow. She felt a surge of proud run through her.

"You're a natural, Blondie."

"Fast learner, I'd say."

"Doesn't matter, as long as you keep doing your thing." Red then continued with the instructions almost in the same breath. "You have to be aware that some people hire us just for company, to spend a day with us and to have someone to talk to. Our job is always to be whoever they pay us to be, as long as it's inside your standards and your rules.

Now, once you are inside the event, you should never reveal yourself as being an escort, unless the client explicitly tells you that you should do so. You actually should ask them that. We usually present ourselves as their companions, but sometimes clients have very specific wishes.

The money they pay you with is never your "payment", but it's a "donation", and it should be placed very discreetly in the hotel room that you're gonna be at before or after the event. Half of it is paid earlier, and half of it is paid after." Red sipped her champagne and turned around to face Emma. She waited for Red to continue, but she never did, looking at the blonde in a nonchalant way.

"So… is that it?"

"Yupp. That's everything. Now tell me, why are you here?"

"Well, that's a really long story, Red, let's see where I should start." Emma said, with a chuckle. She sipped her drink and turned fully to Red, to start the well rehearsed story.

* * *

><p>And now all she had to do was wait. She was driving to the hotel room that Regina Mills had reserved for them. <em>For the whole weekend.<em> She tried not to freak out on the prospect of how much was in line from that one meeting.

Truth was, Emma was terrified. She had next to no idea who Regina was physically, and next to nothing on who she actually was. She knew names, dates and facts. FIle facts, which was as far from actually knowing a person as you could get. She should know that.

On her teenage years Emma had been far from perfect. Actually, going to the academy was a life changer for her. Till that moment in her life, Emma Swan had been nothing more than a number, a prop, the means to an end.

She had been found on the side of a road when she was merely a few hours old, and since then she had been shifting from place to place, from unfitting families to terrifyingly home groups, from running away to being catch and brought back, and so on. She learned at a very young age that she was not something people would want, she was only there as a ticket for government's money.

She had heard several times how perfect she was for adoption. Blonde, white, green eyes. That is, until the third family turned her back in when she was six. From there on, group homes had been better than being put on unstable families or being traded when you did something wrong. At least, in group homes she could make herself invisible enough so that no problem would come her way.

Half of the time she spent hoping her parents would want her, the other half cursing them. Until she was sixteen, when her social worker forgot a file at the group home Emma was in. Her file. She spent a whole night hidden under the covers with a flashlight reading everything.

Her father died in a car accident when her mother was eight months pregnant and apparently she became mentally unfit to bear a child, _it shows by the fact that she left me on the side of a road,_ Emma had thought at the time. But since then she never wondered about them. Not even once.

She burned the files the following day, in the fireplace of the group home. No one saw it.

After that she couldn't handle staying there anymore, so she escaped. It seemed like a logical solution at the time, escape, live in the streets. She knew enough about how to survive there, she had escaped enough times to know how to do so.

And two weeks after escaping, and apparently no one looking for her, she decided that it was time to find a more _fitting _place to live. So she decided to steal a car. Problem was that the car had already been stolen by someone else.

That's how Emma met Neal Cassidy, aka the bastard. He was 10 years older than her, charming, handsome, an orphan and a thief, pretty much like her. They were perfect for each other, or so Emma thought. They ran around stealing for a living and they both enjoyed doing so.

They traveled state by state, never staying in a city more than a few days, but Emma hated that. Neal was it for her, she wanted to settle with him. So she told him so. But he apparently had other plans, as he framed her for one of his big thefts and disappeared.

She served a year and a half, and now she could say that she had a lot more in that year and a half than she had in her whole life. _That must say something about how pathetic my life was._

In prison she met Laura, a 40 years old black woman that was serving ten years and no one exactly knew why. Laura was one of the most feared people in the whole prison, mostly because no one knew what she was there for. Crazy stories used to run around, but no one had courage enough to go near the woman. Emma had to share a bed with her on her first month at the facility.

At first it had been hard, really hard. She didn't talk to anyone and she was terrified from the stories that she heard. But then, one night after getting into trouble with one the officers, she had been ready to break down. She was holding herself as hard as she could. She hadn't broken down in a long time, but so many things had been happening so fast, that she wasn't sure that she was managing to keep up with her own life.

When she got to her bed, candy was placed on top of it and Laura was sitting across from her, as if she had been waiting for Emma.

"Don't fret, child, I know how bad it feels when you're taking the fall for something you didn't commit. Come here, you look like you need a hug."

Emma was sure to remember that moment for all the following years that passed. That had been the first time anyone ever showed her any kindness in the world, and it was also when she found out what happened to Laura. She had basically been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had gone to her sister's house to pick up her nephew, when they saw a fight take place. Two white man fighting in a dark alley. Laura and her nephew a beautiful tall 18 years old, had tried to stop it, but they were too late, which ended up with them seeing a man being murdered. Laura sent her nephew off to call for help, as she tried to stop the bleeding of the man. When the police arrived, Laura and her nephew were covered in the man's blood. She couldn't let him take that fall, so she took it herself. She confessed to the crime and was charged with murder, and not even an investigation was started. "What do you think, a black man and a black woman, on top of a dead white man, they would've killed him if I hadn't taken the fall. They didn't even look for anything, they just arrested me." Those had been Laura's words, after moments of silence from Emma. Resigned, tired words. Emma had been furious. "The system is unfair, Emma, the world is too full of racism for colorblind bullshit. I'm sure you saw your fair share of things, my child. But what you need to see is that, if you had been like me, you probably wouldn't even be here right now. Remember that forever."

And she did. And once she got out of prison, she promised herself she'd do her best to change that. And she'd bring justice to Laura and to as much people as she could.

And the first thing she did as she got out of the academy, was to reopen Laura's case and try her best to look for a solution. She fought for months, going after new evidence, but it had been incredibly hard after ten years and already having a confession. And almost a year after asking for a new trial, she managed to do so, after testing some old DNA samples found at the scene, and seeing that the blood didn't match the dead guy's blood, nor Laura's, nor her nephew's. Laura had been freed two months later.

And now, almost ten years later, Emma still considered Laura her mom, and they had dinner together every other Sunday. Emma smiled remembering Laura's warm hug each time she saw her. She would make sure to visit her the following weekend.

She parked in front of the hotel and shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts away. It was time for action.

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><p>She knocked on the door of room 1206 and waited. She put two lose curls behind her ear again, the rest of her hair falling softly on her back.<p>

"Hello, you must be Emma."

Emma sucked in a breath as she looked the woman over. She sure wasn't expecting that. The woman in front of her was beautiful, with brown skin and a black dress that clung perfectly to her body. Her short hair barely hit her shoulders and was perfectly styled, much like her make up, not very heavy, but perfect. Emma blinked a couple of times before forcing out a smile and extending her hand.

"You must be Miss Mills. Can I come in?"

"It's better if you wait there, it'll only be for a moment."

As Regina Mills stepped into the room, she saw a big suitcase beside the bed and a purse on the table.

She came back to the door holding a large quantity of bills in her hand. "Here's your payment for the whole weekend, Emma. I hope you have a great weekend. You can leave now."

When Emma's brain caught open with what the other woman had said, she saw everything crumbling in front of her eyes for a second. She had to save it. "Whoa, wait a second, Miss. This is too much money; we only request half of it right now, the other half on the end of the weekend. I'll make sure your donation is in good hands though."

"No, I'm pretty sure you understood what I said. I don't request your services anymore; you can take the money and leave. Have a nice weekend"

The last thing Emma saw was the woman's forced smile as she closed the door on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Guys, here's chapter three. I'm really sorry that it took so long for me to upload it. Life has been a little hectic, I barely managed to keep up with work and college, so it took a little while. Again, I'm sorry. I hope you're still following this story. I'll try to be faster from now on :)

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

"No, I'm pretty sure you understood what I said. I don't request your services anymore. You can take the money and leave; have a nice weekend."

The last thing Emma saw was the woman's forced smile as she closed the door on her face. It took Emma a few seconds to realize what happened. _She just closed the fucking door on my face! _Emma's mind started going on a frantic speed as she thought all the possible ways out of this situation that she had. _I can't let her go. The whole operation will be gone._

So she knocked.

"Yes?" Came the answer from inside the door.

"Miss Mills?"

"Didn't I already pay you, Emma?"

"I... Yes." Emma's tone was a little defeated. She was losing and she had no idea what to do.

"Then there's nothing for us to discuss."

Emma didn't hear back from the woman in fifteen minutes, which she spent sitting on front of the door waiting. Regina would have to leave anytime soon, but after fifteen minutes she was sure that the woman wasn't leaving anytime soon.

She got up and started knocking on the door again.

"Regina, please." Emma pleaded at the closed door after another two minutes knocking. "Open up."

After another minute, the door opened, and a very angry Regina Mills was all Emma could see.

"Miss..." Regina looked at Emma expectantly, but her eyes burned with fire.

"Sw- White. Emma White."

"Miss White, please leave, or I'll call the hotel security to take you out."

Emma sighed, feeling defeated, and put her hand on the door to stop Regina from closing it.

"Look Miss Mills, this is my first assignment. Please, I want to do it right. I need this job. I just came here from another city. I've never done this before; please, help me out here. I promise I can give you a nice time." Emma finished her speech with a smile.

"I do not want nor do I need the sex."

"We don't need to have it! We can talk, I can give you a massage, I can make you company, bring you things when you don't want to get up from the bed. You can tell me about your life and rant to me. I promise I'll listen to it all. Please, Miss Mills."

Regina took a moment to consider her request. Emma felt like she was going to burst from how proud she felt. She might just win this.

"And why would I do that?"

Then again, maybe not.

"Look, do you think I like being here, begging you for this? I have never done this before, lady. I have no idea how to do this, and I'm pretty sure putting my pride on the line is not the best way to go, but I think it could be good for both of us this... thing."

"And why do you think that, Miss White?"

Emma took a deep breath and started. "Well, say what you want, but I'm very good at reading people. And you, Regina Mills, look like you could use someone to talk to, someone who is not going to judge or hold your shit against you and who is only going to try to comfort you and will like doing so. You could use someone looking at you and caring for you, worrying and giving you all the time of the day. Please, let me be that someone."

Regina looked slightly surprised and shocked, but the look disappeared after she got a grip of herself. _Bingo! I hit the spot._

"Very well then, if that's what will take for you to stop pestering me, then by all means, come here and let's talk."

Emma sat a bit uncomfortably at the chair as Regina went to the bathroom to change into something "more comfortable". Emma had no idea what she should do, but by what she had gathered, the woman really didn't want to have sex. Actually, she probably didn't even want to look at her. So Emma took off her heels and waited. She wasn't gonna do anything that could put what she managed to get so far on the line.

Two minutes later, Regina came out of the bathroom wearing some sort of fancy pajamas.

"I didn't bring any pjs."

Regina didn't answer her as she plopped down on the bed.

"I will not have sex with you."

Emma's eyes bulged for a second and her throat ran dry. "No… No, of course not. I wasn't expecting that. I just want to... talk."

"Alright. What are you waiting for?"

Emma sighed. This was so much more difficult than she was expecting. She got up and laid down on the bed besides Regina, looking and the ceiling.

"I'm Emma White."

"Tell me something I don't know, dear."

Emma rolled her eyes as hard as she could. "Can you please not do that?"

Regina chuckled. Emma decided she quite liked the sound.

"My apologies. Please, go on."

"I am twenty-eight. This is the first time I do this, and apparently, I suck big time." She laughed humorlessly. Regina kept quiet. "I'm not from around here, you know? I'm actually from Maine."

* * *

><p>Emma talked for what felt like hours, when actually, no more than 10 minutes had passed. Regina barely moved during her speech. Emma only looked at her once she had finished, waiting for some sort of reaction. Regina's face was blank, but her eyes held a warmth that was new to Emma.<p>

Moments passed as they looked at each other's eyes, the tension between them growing. _Well, well... there IS something beneath all that bitchiness._

Emma went back to looking at the ceiling, watching the way the ceiling fan would spin.

Regina sighed.

"So..."

"Do you expect me to open my heart now?"

Emma sighed. Too good to be true.

"Well no, I mean, if you want to, of course, I just opened myself up to you, I mean, I think we connected right? It was cool. It was nice. You weren't such a bitch for a few minutes and I shared. In my book, that's good."

"A bitch?"

"No! Damn, that's not what I meant. You know what I mean, it's just that you come on too strong and stuff, and well-"

Regina huffed loudly, interrupting Emma's babbles.

"And? Is that reason enough? The fact that I refused your company because I wanted to be left alone, yet I placed aside my discomfort and let you in after you begged me for another chance, makes me a bitch?"

"Regina, no, that's not what I meant..."

"Then what did you mean?" Regina scoffed. "You know what? Don't tell me, because I frankly don't care. I have had enough petty, whiny, white morons like yourself call me a bitch and this time I will not accept it from someone I am paying to be nice to me with crossed arms!"

Emma knew she was about to explode. _Breathe Swan; in and out. Don't blow this. You came too far to give up._

She sighed. "I know... I am sorry."

Regina was silent for a few more moments, but Emma felt like she had something else to say about that.

The two just stayed silent for another couple of minutes. Regina laid down in bed, but did not break the silence.

It wasn't an uncomfortable one, actually. It was almost as if Emma could pretend that she was home, after a hard day at work, just chilling, almost falling asleep.

"My mother is the owner of the Mills Corporation."

Emma held her breath.

"So I'm almost in the presence of New York royalty? Is that it?"

Regina let out a low chuckle.

"Well, the problem is that she pretty much dictated all my life."

And then, Regina permitted herself something that she had never done. She shared. She shared everything. About her mother, how difficult her childhood had been and about her father loving her but never actually standing up for her.

Then, she talked about her teen years, and Daniel. Her first love. If she was being honest, HER only love. The only one that gave her the time of the day, the only one that knew her, the only one she let in.

And how it all had shattered.

Even years later it was still painful to think about what had happened. She had been in love with Daniel for almost two years. They had been dating in secret for months. Every time she saw him, it was as if her heart was going to explode. He was beautiful, gentle and kind, and she loved everything about him. He loved her even with all her flaws and problems.

Her mother had hated him. He was the son of their house's butler.

"Regina, he's the son of a servant."

"Regina, he won't be able to give you the life you deserve."

"Regina, he is only with you for your money."

For as long as possible, Regina didn't give ears to her mother. But she was to learn the hard way that everything good in her life wouldn't stay, one way or another.

Daniel had asked her to marry him. Regina, undoubtedly, had said yes. He was the love of her life... He IS the love of her life. He was everything good that she could ever get. He was everything that she was not.

The year they had passed married was the happiest year of her life. She woke up in his arms and went to sleep in his arms. She felt safe, needed, wanted.

Yet not everyone was as happy as they felt. Her mother had stopped talking to her and she briefly met with her father. Her mother made it very clear to her that her relationship with Daniel would put a stop on their relationship. Cora Mills was not a woman to take back her word. And she didn't. For a year it was as if Regina's only family was Daniel. It didn't suffice the aching she had for her family, but somehow, Daniel was enough.

However, life happens, and sometimes it is more cruel than anything else.

It was a casualty of being in the wrong place in the wrong time.

Daniel had started working as a stable hand in one of the big stables in the city in the previous month; it was his first salary. He went to the bank to get all the papers right and get his money.

He was robbed and killed.

Emma took a deep breath at that point of the story. She remembered when that happened. It was all over the news, "Regina Mills' husband, daughter of the millionaire Cora Mills, killed in a robbery".

She felt a sudden jolt of care for the woman, and her brain started screaming at her. _Feelings is not what this job is for, Swan._

Emma wanted to reach out and touch her, but she didn't know how the woman would take that, so she stood there, her hand itching to go closer to the woman, as she pretended to not hear Regina's quiet sobs.

Minutes passed before Regina said another word.

She took a deep breath and started the story from where she had stopped, or as Regina always categorized it for herself, the time after.

That's how she always saw it. She knew it wasn't good to think like that, but she couldn't avoid it. She felt as if someone had pulled the brakes as hard as possible in her life, and the action caused time to get divided as in before and after the incident.

Before and after Daniel.

It had been suffocating at first. The moment she knew what happened. It was as if she fell on the open sea; all around her was water and she had nowhere to go. Bit by bit she was sinking, drowning, and there was no way up, no way out.

The first few days after Daniel, she could barely remember. She stayed home, that was all.

Her mother came by. Hugged her, kissed her. "I'm sorry, my child. I am so sorry." She did what Regina had always hoped she would.

"Now it's time for you to rise again, dear."

And rise she did. She went back to her job, made the company rise with her mother's help. She buried Daniel forever in her heart and in her mind.

He became that forever untouched corner; that ache that never subsided.

He was always there.

Since then she hadn't had another relationship.

"Why would I? Nothing would ever come close to how much I loved him and how amazing our relationship was."

Emma just nodded. It was comprehensible, she had gone through something similar. _Once upon a time..._

Regina sighed. "Do you want some water?"

"No, thanks."

"Isn't this the part where you comfort me?"

Emma took a deep breath. One of the things she never knew how to do was comfort people.

Regina had gotten up and was serving water for herself. Emma calmly walked over to Regina and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

Regina tensed up at the contact first. Then she turned around and looked at Emma in the eyes.

"Don't be. What's done is done. Being sorry is but an empty niceity people use to comfort each other. It won't change anything."

This is the moment when Emma realized that she might have more things in common with this woman than she ever expected to. _Being sorry doesn't change shit._

A sudden wish invaded her and all she really wanted to do was to kiss the woman, but instead, she closed her eyes and hugged her.

Regina stood still for a few seconds, then a small whimper left her, and Emma felt her arms embracing her, gently at first, but then with a vice like grip, as she started to cry.

At one point they moved their hugging to the bed. The crying subsided as Regina entered a tired slumber. Emma watched her for as long as she could and then followed her to sleep.


End file.
